The Houthis claim to have used a hypersonic missile for the first time in an attack on central Israel.

The Yemeni Houthi rebels say they have fired a hypersonic missile at central Israel for the first time.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the feared missile was fired 2,040 kilometers in just 11.5 minutes, marking a significant escalation by the Iran-backed militia.

Although Israel said the missile did not hit its target and there were no reports of casualties, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would impose a “heavy price” on the Houthis, who control northern Yemen.

The Israeli military initially said the rocket hit open terrain, but later said it probably shattered in the air and that parts of interceptor missiles landed in fields and near a train station.

Shortly before the impact, at about 6:35 a.m. local time (3:35 a.m. GMT), air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and throughout central Israel, prompting residents to seek shelter.

Houthis' military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the fearsome missile was fired 2,040 km in just 11.5 minutes.

Rescue workers extinguished a fire in the Lod area, near Tel Aviv, in central Israel, after the Houthis fired the rocket.

An employee sweeps shards of glass from an escalator damaged by the impact of a missile fired from Yemen, at a train station in the Israeli city of Modin.

When the rocket apparently broke through Israel's Iron Dome, loud bangs were heard and Reuters saw smoke rising in an open field in central Israel.

At a weekly cabinet meeting almost a year after the war between Israel and Hamas began, Netanyahu said the Houthis should have known that Israel would exact a “heavy price” for their attacks on Israel.

“Anyone who needs a reminder is invited to visit the port of Hodeida,” Netanyahu said, referring to an Israeli retaliatory airstrike on Yemen in July for a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv.

The Houthis have repeatedly fired rockets and drones at Israel in alleged solidarity with the Palestinians since the Gaza war began with a Hamas attack on Israel in October.

The drone, which first struck Tel Aviv in July, killed one man and injured four people. In response, Israeli airstrikes on Houthi military targets near the port of Hodeidah killed six people and injured 80.

So far, the Houthi rockets have not penetrated deep into Israeli airspace; the only rocket that hit Israeli territory in March crashed in open territory near the port city of Eilat on the Red Sea.

Israel must expect further attacks in the future “as we approach the first anniversary of the October 7 operation, including in response to the aggression against the city of Hodeidah,” Sarea said.

Israel Police bomb disposal unit investigates the scene of a rocket impact near Kfar Daniel in central Israel.

Smoke clouds after rocket attack from Yemen in central Israel

A firefighter extinguishes a fire that broke out after the Houthis claimed to have fired a hypersonic missile.

The deputy head of the Houthi media office, Nasruddin Amer, said in a post on X on Sunday that the rocket reached Israel after “20 rockets failed to intercept it,” calling it “the beginning.”

He added: “The attack covered a distance of 2,040 kilometers in 11.5 minutes and caused fear and panic among the Zionists, as more than two million Zionists took shelter for the first time in the history of the Israeli enemy.”

“The geographical challenges, the American-British aggression and the surveillance, espionage and wiretapping systems will not prevent beloved Yemen from fulfilling its religious, moral and humanitarian duty in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

The Israeli military also said that 40 missiles were fired from Lebanon towards Israel on Sunday and that they were either intercepted or landed in open areas.

“No injuries were reported,” the military said.

This happened against the backdrop of fears that Russia had given Iran secrets about its nuclear bomb in exchange for missiles to attack Ukraine.

A man in a crater runs away as smoke rises and flames erupt behind him

Emergency services extinguish a fire in the Lod area, near Tel Aviv, in central Israel

Israel Police bomb disposal unit investigates the scene of a surface-to-surface rocket impact near Kfar Daniel.

This frightening prospect was discussed at a meeting between US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House on Friday.

If such a deal is confirmed, it would cause great concern as Tehran advances its uranium enrichment program, taking a step toward developing a nuclear weapon.

British sources said alarm bells had been raised over Iran's trade in nuclear technology, amid fears that the trade could be part of a deepening alliance between Tehran and Moscow.

Last week, the US and Britain released key intelligence showing that Russian President Vladimir Putin had accepted a shipment of Fath-360 ballistic missiles from Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Following the handover, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken issued a stark warning during a visit to London with his British counterpart David Lammy.

“Russia, for its part, is sharing the technology that Iran wants – it's a two-way street – including on nuclear issues and some information from space,” Blinken said, suggesting that Russia and Iran are engaged in destabilizing activities with global implications.